LAGOS – Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, yesterday, appealed to Lagosians to be more tax compliant, saying if more people voluntarily pay the right amount of income taxes the government would find enough money it needs to transform the state.

Fashola, who spoke during the 5th Lagos State Taxation Stakeholders’ Conference and award ceremony, said the only way to make life as good as they are in the other jurisdictions such as Europe was for the people to provide the government with more resources to do so.

Noting that Nigerians who subscribe to many forms of taxes voluntarily abroad find it difficult to pay such taxes at home, Fashola declared: “Ask those who own properties in the United Kingdom how much they pay as property tax; ask them also whether in spite of paying taxes they do not pay toll on certain roads; ask them that after paying their property tax they do not pay income tax.

“Ask them whether after paying all that they can drink a bottle of soft drink without paying sales tax and without paying a Value Added Tax. And they can pay all of these very voluntarily. No one can take it away that life is much better there, but the truth is that life will not get better here if we do not provide the resources for government to do it.

“Year after year, month after month, we have shared with you the policies and programmes that we think will transform this state and impact the life of all Nigerians from the diverse parts of this country who chose to make this place their home.”